Illusions of Reality
by Toshima
Summary: What if everybody was wrong about Naruto not being able to use genjutsu because of his vast amounts of chakra? What if his massive chakra actually allows him to do things thought impossible by any other genjutsu user? Rating M for certain content that will appear in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1: Breaking the illusion

A/N: Hello everybody. There is something to keep in mind for this story; there is no Kurama clan. Just wanted to get that out of the way now in case anybody has questions about certain things in the story later on that would contradict there being a Kurama clan. Other than that, I can't really think of anything else you need to know at this point. Enjoy the story.

Random factoid: Kurenai and I actually have the same birthday haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 1: Breaking the illusion

* * *

It all started that night when he met her…

The sound of raindrops crashing down filled the streets of Konoha as what few people were out were either closing up their businesses for the night or rushing home to escape the downpour. The sun long since having dropped below the horizon, only one person could be seen walking through the quiet streets as water poured over his young body. That person, or rather, that child, was a young boy with golden hair and bright blue eyes. His eyes were obstructed from view however and had lost their usual brilliance as the boy looked toward the ground as he trudged through the village with no real destination in mind.

That boy was, Naruto Uzumaki. The 5-year-old blond wandered the village as his plain white shirt clung to his skin from the copious amount of water soaked into it. Why was he wandering around aimlessly in the rain? Because he had nowhere to go. The woman in charge of the orphanage had, quite literally, thrown him out into the rain and told him he was not to return. He knew if he asked the Hokage he would more than likely help him in some way, but at the moment, he didn't want the man he saw as his grandfather to see him. And so, he continued his walk in deep thought.

'Why is it always me? Why do they all hate me so much?' Naruto may have portrayed himself to be some happy-go-lucky dunce, but that was all part of his façade. Below the surface, he was actually rather intelligent and hurting deeply from the constant waves of hatred he received on a daily basis. His only source of comfort was the elderly kage. He was so deep in his thoughts about why he was a pariah, when he felt something crash into him and he fell face-first into a puddle.

"I'm sorry, are you okay? I wasn't paying attention," a voice called out to him as he pushed himself up and got to his feet without a word. He turned around to say he was fine, but froze as he stared into the eyes looking down at him. He wasn't sure how long he had actually been looking, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from the crimson eyes that showed emotions that he wasn't quite familiar with. Naruto couldn't help but blush and turn away when she cleared her throat with a raised eyebrow. "I said are you okay?" she repeated.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Naruto replied with a forced laugh as he turned to face her again and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "W-who are you?" he dared to ask. She gave a soft smile as she replied. "My name is Kurenai, what's yours?" She already knew who he was of course, but felt a proper introduction was necessary. Naruto looked at her eyes again and couldn't help but think 'what a fitting name.'

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He gave a genuine smile having completely forgotten his previous troubles. "Well it's nice to meet you Naruto-kun," she said as she took notice of his appearance. "The pleasure is all mine Kurenai-chan." Kurenai gave a slight chuckle at the response and the huge smile plastered on the boy's face. Taking note again of his appearance, she asked him "would you like to come to my apartment to dry off, Naruto-kun? It's not far from here." Naruto's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. Something about her made him feel like he could trust her, but past experience was telling him to run while he had the chance.

* * *

Against his better judgment, Naruto had decided to agree to accompany Kurenai back to her apartment. He was currently standing in her living room drying off with a towel while she went to change. She returned shortly after with a large shirt. "Why don't you change into that so I can dry your clothes for you," she said as she handed him the shirt and pointed towards the bathroom. Naruto looked between her and the shirt before voicing what was on his mind.

"Why are you doing this for me?" he asked seriously with a blank expression. Other than the Hokage, the only time anyone was ever nice to him was to lure him into a false sense of security before attacking him so he was still skeptical as to why she was going out of her way to help him. Kurenai just blinked a few times at the question before asking "why not?" Naruto looked at her for another moment before slowly moving to the bathroom with the offered clothing.

* * *

After changing and giving his discarded shirt and shorts to Kurenai to place in the dryer, they had a long argument after Kurenai suggested he should stay the night. Eventually, Naruto reluctantly agreed to spend the night on her couch. They were now sitting on said couch having a cup of tea while talking about various things. Naruto had taken great interest in the fact that she was a genjutsu expert.

"That's awesome, Kurenai-chan. I always thought genjutsu was cool, but gramps said it would be pretty much impossible for me because of how much chakra I have." Kurenai nodded in agreement. "I agree it would be nearly impossible. However, it's not completely impossible." Naruto looked disappointed at first, but that disappeared as she finished talking. "So it's possible?" Kurenai thought for a moment before responding. "It's possible, but it would be far more difficult than ninjutsu would be for you. You seem pretty smart though and you're definitely very mature for your age. If you worked hard enough on your chakra control, I'm sure you could do it." Naruto smiled brightly before yawning.

"It's getting late. Get some sleep, Naruto-kun. We can talk more in the morning and then we'll go see Hokage-sama." Naruto nodded as he lied down and pulled up the blanket Kurenai had taken out for him. "Good night, Kurenai-chan." Kurenai gave him a warm smile before turning the light off and going to her room.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto had woken up to Kurenai making breakfast for the 2 of them. They talked a bit more while they ate and after Naruto changed back into his clothes and they were ready to go, Kurenai had given him some books to read. The first was a very basic book all about chakra. The next one was the one she expected would be the most helpful as it was about chakra control and would teach him several exercises on how to improve. The final book was on the basics of genjutsu. It explained the concept, practice and theory behind the shinobi art. Naruto was extremely happy. Contrary to popular belief, Naruto was most certainly not stupid; just uneducated. It's rather difficult to learn anything when you can't even so much as go to the library because you're a pariah.

Naruto thanked Kurenai repeatedly on the way to the Hokage's tower. Once there, Hiruzen was quite disturbed to learn of Naruto's situation with the orphanage. After much discussion it was decided that Naruto would live in his own apartment. Hiruzen had invited him to stay at the Sarutobi compound, but the boy sternly refused. Once it was decided, Kurenai stood to leave while they took care of the specifics. Naruto gave a sad smile as he looked into the crimson eyes that had captivated him once again before she left. 'I hope I see her again someday.'

* * *

Several years later, the day Naruto had waited so long for finally arrived. Today they would find out what their genin teams would be. Naruto was only half paying attention to his teacher as he named off members for each team. The majority of his attention was focused on what it always was on when he was in the classroom. And that would be his hand under the table with the point of a kunai rotating on his outstretched finger. Ever since he received those books all those years ago, Naruto had spent every chance he had trying to improve his chakra control. He was still unable to perform genjutsu effectively, but he could tell there was a difference now like he was on the verge of something.

"Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and…Kiba Inuzuka." Naruto let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding when he heard Kiba's name called. It wasn't that he hated the other 2 members, he just…okay he hated the Uchiha. He wasn't fond of the pink-haired fangirl, but he could tolerate her. The last Uchiha however, he disliked even being in the same room with. The boy's unfounded arrogance and his overall actions in general annoyed the blond to no end. His musings were cut short as the next team was announced.

"Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto smiled as he looked at his new teammates. He wasn't very familiar with them, but they were 2 of the few classmates he had no problems with. Shino was quiet and Hinata was shy. Those may seem like flaws to most people, but Naruto was actually happy with it. Hinata was a very kind girl and while, yes she was shy, she seemed like she would be reliable. She was also pretty much the only girl in his class that wasn't a fangirl so that was a major plus. Naruto was actually fond of Shino. He wasn't boisterous or arrogant like the others even though Naruto had a feeling he was much stronger than the majority of them. All in all, he was pleased. 'If we get a good teacher this will be perfect.' Naruto thought as his academy instructor called for the jounins outside to enter the room.

Naruto watched the various jounins come in and walk to their new teams, but he froze as his eyes locked on one in particular. She was a fairly tall, light-skinned woman with black, shoulder-length hair wearing red lipstick and purple eye-shadow. She wore a red mesh shirt with only the right sleeve visible. Over this is very broad material which resembles bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs are also wrapped in bandages. But the thing that had his heart beating faster with every step she took toward them was her eyes. The same beautiful crimson eyes that appeared in his dreams regularly for the last 7 years.

"Kurenai-chan…" he whispered as she stopped in front of them. Kurenai gave Naruto a quick smile before turning to address the whole team. "Meet me at training ground 8 in an hour." And with that said, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Hinata and Shino stood to leave and raised an eyebrow at the dazed look on Naruto's face. They looked to each other and shrugged before turning to leave. Shortly after they left, Naruto shook his head and ran to training ground 8 as fast as he could.

* * *

Naruto arrived to find himself alone in the field and frowned a bit. "I had a feeling you'd be the first one here. Long time no see, Naruto-kun," Kurenai smiled as she approached Naruto from behind. Naruto smiled and had to fight back the tears that threatened to drip from the corner of his eyes. "It's great to see you again, Kurenai-chan. Err, I guess I should call you Kurenai-sensei now, huh?" He said with a nervous laugh at the end. Kurenai gave a light laugh of her own.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun. When it's just us it's fine to drop the sensei. How have you been?" They spent the next 15 minutes or so catching up until the others arrived. "Now that you're all here, let's introduce ourselves. I'll go first as an example. My name is Kurenai Yuuhi and I'm 27 years old. I like flowers and enjoy going out for drinks with my friend at night. I dislike perverts and people who underestimate genjutsu. I specialize in genjutsu and I don't really have a dream for the future at the moment." With her introduction finished, Kurenai motioned for Shino to go next.

"My name is Shino Aburame and I'm 12 years old. I like entomology and collecting new species of insects. I dislike arrogance and spiders. I specialize in my clan's ninjutsu and my dream is to surpass my father." Kurenai gave a nod and turned to Hinata.

"M-my name is Hinata H-Hyuuga and I'm 12 years old. I like pressing flowers and being with my little sister. I-I dislike bullies and selfish people. I specialize in my family's taijutsu and my dream is to make my father proud of me someday." Kurenai smiled and nodded and turned to the last member of the team to hear his introduction.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm 12 years old. I like training, ramen, and watering plants. I dislike arrogant people, vegetables, and people who look down on me. I hope to specialize in genjutsu someday and my dream is to become Hokage and…" Naruto trailed off at the end as he looked at Kurenai. The others waited for the rest, but ignored it when it was obvious he had no intention of continuing.

"Alright everyone there's something you should know. You're not actually genin yet. Your real test will be tomorrow morning. Meet me here at 7." Before anybody could question her, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The 3 genin hopefuls looked at each other and shrugged before going their separate ways.

* * *

Naruto was once again the first to arrive at their meeting place. Having woken up early and not being able to go back to sleep, he had nothing better to do so he came almost an hour early. He wandered out into the middle of the field and lay down with his hands linked together beneath his head. As he watched the clouds float by in the early morning sky, he couldn't help but think "I see why Shikamaru enjoys this so much." He had just closed his eyes when they flew back open at the sound of a voice from above him.

"Well you look comfortable," Kurenai joked as she held a fist over her mouth in an attempt to hold back a giggle. Naruto looked into familiar crimson eyes as his cheeks flushed slightly. Once the initial shock passed, he immediately sat up, and immediately regretted. They both groaned and rubbed their foreheads after Naruto unintentionally headbutted his, hopefully, soon-to-be teacher. "Ugh, I'm sorry, Kurenai-chan. You surprised me and I wasn't thinking. What are you doing here so early?" Kurenai shook her head slightly before responding.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun, but I should be the one asking that. There's still the better part of an hour left before the others are supposed to get here." "Yeah, I know. I couldn't sleep though so I decided to just wait here. What about you?" Naruto was now sitting cross-legged as he looked up at the woman in front of him. She decided to follow his lead and sat down as well.

"More or less the same. I was seeing off a friend that was leaving on a reconnaissance mission at the gate and figured it would have been pointless to go home before coming here." Naruto felt a strange sensation somewhat akin to worry wash over him at the mention of this "friend" of hers. 'Is it the same person she mentioned she likes to drink with yesterday? Could it be her boyfriend?' He thought to himself. "That was nice of you to see a friend off like that, Kurenai-chan. Was it the same friend you mentioned yesterday?" Kurenai gave a small nod before answering.

"Mhm, it was my friend Anko. She has a bad habit of forgetting things so I usually check on her when I know she has a long mission. The look on her face when she complains about being "mothered" makes it worth the effort," Kurenai giggled at the last part and it was like music to Naruto's ears. Naruto couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief hearing that her friend was a girl and laughed along with her at her last comment.

They spent the rest of the time waiting for the other 2 to show up just talking as they sat there. Naruto had learned that Asuma Sarutobi was persistently pursuing her and he tried to hide the clenching of his fists and teeth at that fact. He relaxed slightly upon hearing she had no intention of dating him, but Naruto was a perfect example of how persistence can payoff so the worry was still strong. When the set time for the test was approaching, Hinata and Shino, once again, arrived together. Naruto and Kurenai both raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't voice the question that was on their minds and chalked it up to coincidence.

Now then, let's get started." Kurenai said as she stood up and brushed herself off followed by Naruto doing the same.

* * *

The 3 genin were seen panting on their hands and knees after the "test" was finished. Kurenai had mentioned that all the jounin had different ways of testing their potential teams and after what they just went through, they couldn't help but wish they had been given a different test. It had started out simple enough with a test of their tracking skills. Kurenai had made 3 clones and had them all go in separate directions instructing each student to find one. Hinata was the first to find hers of course. The byakugan made it a very simple feat. Shino found his fairly easily as well using his bugs. Naruto took slightly longer, but his advanced sense of smell made it simple enough. The fact that he had taken every opportunity to memorize the woman's scent helped. Her scent smelled heavily of roses with a light hint of white plum that he attributed to her perfume; He couldn't seem to get enough of her scent.

After they had found their targets, she had placed them under a light genjutsu that they all broke free from almost immediately. The thing that made the test so difficult was the last portion. Kurenai had claimed she was testing their taijutsu skills, but to them it seemed more like she was testing their tolerance for pain. She countered every attack they sent at her and pointed out the holes in their defenses. She didn't just tell them the problem though; she demonstrated the flaws with brute force. They were all sure they had at least a few broken bones by the time they were done. Naruto knew that even with the fox's accelerated healing, he would be mostly out of commission for a few days.

Yes, Naruto was aware of his jinchuuriki status. About 2 years ago, Hiruzen had finally caved in to the boy's demand to know why the village hated him. He wasn't told the specifics of who his parents were, but he now knew that they were both talented shinobi that loved him dearly and didn't abandon him by choice. It took him awhile to get over the information he had received, but eventually he was back to his old self.

"Good job you 3 and congratulations, you passed. You can take tomorrow off to rest up, but be here the next morning at 8 for our first mission." Kurenai smiled and gave a short wave before disappearing in a whirl of leaves to report her team's success to the Hokage. The 3 new genin could do little more than smile at the news as they tried to recover. Once Naruto was finally able to stand, he helped his teammates up and they all limped their way to the hospital.

* * *

About a month later, team 8 was the perfect model of how a team should be. Their teamwork was impeccable and they had become fast friends. To Naruto and Kurenai's surprise, about a week after their first mission, Shino and Hinata announced they were an official couple. At first Kurenai was worried about how this would affect the team, but Naruto couldn't be happier for his new friends and it eventually became clear that their relationship didn't pose a threat to the team. If anything it helped because Hinata was slowly becoming less shy. That aside, they were very reliable and completed all of their missions in a timely manner without complaint.

They were just finishing up a team meeting and Hinata and Shino were on their way to have a date. Naruto took the opportunity to see if he could spend some time with his teacher. "I'm Sorry, Naruto. Anko gets back today and I was hoping to catch up with her a bit." Kurenai barely caught the disappointment on his face before it vanished. "I understand, Kurenai-chan. Have fun and be careful. I'll see you tomorrow," Naruto said as he turned to walk away.

"If you really want to, you could come along." Kurenai surprised both of them when she said that. She knew Anko would be fine with it, but she hadn't actually planned on inviting him along. "Are you sure? I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to meet Mitarashi-san, but I don't want to impose…" Kurenai waved him off and assured him that it was fine. He hesitantly agreed and they left to go to the dango bar Kurenai and Anko always met at.

* * *

"Hey, Kurenai, long time no see," Anko called out as her friend approached with the boy she knew to be their village's jinchuuriki. She raised an eyebrow when they got close and asked the obvious question "who's the brat?" Naruto bowed and introduced himself. He was rarely so formal, but he wanted to make a good impression with his sensei's best friend. "Nice to meet you, Mitarashi-san. My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Anko just stared at him and blinked a few times before laughing. "Cut the formalities kid. Just call me Anko."

"Okay, nice to meet you then, Anko-chan," Naruto winced slightly as he felt a kunai graze his cheek and heard a growl come from behind him. "Call me Anko-chan again and it won't just be a scratch. I said to call me **just** Anko. Got it, brat?" Naruto kept still and just nodded slowly. Kurenai let out a sigh and shook her head at her friend's antics. With that out of the way, they all sat down and talked over dango drinks. As a ninja, Naruto was allowed to drink despite his age s long as the server felt he wasn't getting too intoxicated. Kurenai drank vodka while Naruto and Anko shared a bottle of sake.

Anko continued to pour the young genin drink after drink trying to get him to make a drunken fool of himself. But, to her and Kurenai's surprise, he was by no means a lightweight. They all assumed it was due to his tenant breaking it down faster than it could have a major affect. The fact that he was perfectly aware of the beast inside of him was another surprise to the women sitting across from him. By the time they had decided to call it a night, the moon was high in the sky and they were all at least somewhat feeling the alcohol in their system. Anko more so than the others.

They were walking towards their respective apartments when Anko decided to embarrass them one last time before they parted. "So when did you 2 hook-up?" Naruto couldn't hide the blush that crossed his face and Kurenai's eyes widened considerably. "Oh please, Anko. You know that would never happen." Kurenai didn't see the pained look that crossed the boy's face as he visibly winced at the comment, but Anko did. Anko's eyes narrowed slightly as the boy turned to leave. "Well I'm gonna head home. It was nice meeting you, Anko. See ya around," he waved over his shoulder without looking back as he walked away from them.

"That was a bit harsh don't you think, Kurenai?" "What do you mean?" Kurenai was completely ignorant to what she had just done and Anko shook her head with a sigh as she stopped in front of their apartment building. "You really hurt the kid with that last comment." Kurenai still had no idea what her friend was talking about and Anko almost growled at how dense her friend could be sometimes. Okay so maybe she did growl a little bit.

"I can't believe you seriously don't realize what you just said. The kid obviously has a crush on you and you just brutally stated you could never feel that way. I may be a bitch, but even I think that was over the line. Especially considering the life he's had…" Kurenai's eyes widened when she finally realized what Anko was talking about. Kurenai turned to say something, but Anko was already in her apartment and closing the door.

"I'm sorry, Naruto…"

* * *

Instead of showing up an hour early the next morning like he usually would, Naruto arrived right at the scheduled meeting time. Hinata and Shino gave a confused look that turned to one of worry when they saw that his eyes were puffy like he had cried himself to sleep, but the redness of his eyes and the bags under them told them he probably didn't actually get to sleep.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Shino asked as he looked into his eyes. Naruto clearly had his mask up as he smiled and claimed his allergies were acting up. Shino knew it was obviously a lie, but nodded and dropped the subject anyway. Kurenai motioned for them to follow her to the tower for the day's mission and everyone's worry rose further when, instead of walking alongside Kurenai like he always did, Naruto chose to walk behind them all with his hands in his pockets. Even though the smile on his face said otherwise, his eyes held none of their usual happiness or energy.

* * *

Their mission was to, once again, catch Tora, the cat that belonged to the daimyo's wife and continued to runaway for obvious reasons. The woman squeezed the life out of the poor animal so it couldn't really be blamed for its repeated attempts to flee for its life. Normally, Naruto was heavily involved in planning out their strategy, but today, he just nodded along with Kurenai's plan without saying a word. And once the mission was complete, he said he was going to go train some more and immediately left before anybody could say anything else. Hiruzen was completely baffled by his pseudo-grandson's behavior and the worry showed on his face as he asked if they knew what had caused this. Shino and Hinata shook their heads while Kurenai just sighed.

"Shino, Hinata, you 2 may be excused. I would like to speak with Kurenai alone for a moment." The genin nodded before bowing and leaving the office. "What happened, Kurenai?" Kurenai let out another long sigh before answering her superior. She explained the events of the night and how Anko had said it was blatantly obvious the blond had feelings for his crimson-eyed teacher. Hiruzen nodded knowing full-well how the boy felt about the genjutsu mistress. He was actually the one who explained the feeling to the boy not too long ago.

* * *

2 weeks ago

"Hey, gramps, can I talk to you about something?" Naruto asked as he walked into the office and closed the door. "Of course, Naruto. What's on your mind?" Naruto walked around the desk with a worried expression. "I've been getting this weird feeling lately around Kurenai-sensei and I don't know what it is." Hiruzen motioned for him to continue and Naruto told him the whole story from the time they first met when he was 5 until now. To say he was surprised would be an understatement, especially finding out the boy had clearly been jealous of his son Asuma.

"It sounds to me like you like her." Naruto nodded, though not understanding the true meaning behind the words. "Of course I like her, gramps, but I don't feel this way around any of my other friends." Hiruzen couldn't help but laugh slightly. "No my boy, that's not what I meant. I meant you like her in a romantic way." All Naruto could bring himself to say in response was "oh…"

* * *

"I see. I was afraid something like that might happen," Hiruzen walked over to the window and looked out at the village below as he thought things over. "I don't blame you, Kurenai. True, you could have chosen your words more carefully, but I won't hold that against you. As for resolving the situation…I'm certainly not going to ask you to date the boy, but I would like you to apologize. Whether you do or not is up to you, but it would be difficult for your team to operate with Naruto in this condition." Kurenai listened carefully and nodded at the end. "I understand. I will take care of it, Hokage-sama." The door closed with an audible "click" and Hiruzen sighed. "Please let him down easy, Kurenai…" he whispered to himself.

* * *

Kurenai looked everywhere trying to find her blond student. He was nowhere to be found at his usual hangouts or training ground 8. She ran into Hinata and Shino and neither of them had any idea where he was either. She was about ready to give up the search when she heard a loud cry of "dammit!" from the forest nearby. She moved silently through the trees until she saw the source of the yell. Kneeling in the middle of a clearing was her missing blond. She failed to notice the waterfall and nearby cave off to her left as she watched the boy pound his fists into the ground and yell profanities repeatedly.

Just as she was about to call out to him, he did something that amazed her completely. First, he put himself into a handstand. Not anything special on its own, but then he pushed himself up onto his fingertips. Surprising yes, but not what amazed her. From there he went on to balance on the tip of only his right index finger. At first she was confused because his finger shouldn't have been able to support the weight of his full body. Then she saw it. Just below his fingertip, was a small, barely noticeable concentration of chakra.

'Amazing. I know he spends a lot of time on his chakra control, but that is just unbelievable. I doubt even I could do that!' Kurenai thought to herself. She was brought from her internal musings when she noticed the droplets falling from his face to the ground. At first she presumed it to be sweat, but then she heard the soft sobs that accompanied them. 'Is he…crying?'

As if to answer her unspoken question, she heard his cracking voice. "Why? Why does it hurt so much?!" Naruto asked nobody in particular as his unoccupied left hand moved to clutch his aching chest. When he heard the soft call of "Naruto?" he lost his concentration and fell face-first into the ground. He used the back of his hand to try and remove the bulk of the dirt, sweat, and tears covering his face. When he looked up, there was the last person he wanted to see him like this.

"K-Kurenai-sensei? What are you doing here?" he asked as he turned away and walked toward the nearby waterfall to wash off a bit. Kurenai finally took notice of everything in the clearing and was rather impressed. "This place is amazing," she said softly. Naruto nodded his agreement with his back to her. "I found this place a couple years ago. It's the perfect place for me to train without being disturbed. At least it was…" he mumbled the last bit to himself as he washed his face in the pool of water located beneath the waterfall. After taking in her surroundings, Kurenai addressed her student once more.

"Listen, Naruto, about what I said last night…" Naruto cut in before she could finish. "Don't worry about it, Kurenai-sensei. It's not a big deal." Kurenai couldn't help but notice the "sensei" honorific instead of "chan" or the lack of emotion when he spoke. Kurenai sighed for what seemed like the 100th time that day before starting again. "I didn't mean it the way it came out. Anko was just teasing and I chose my words very poorly. I wasn't trying to-" "It's fine sensei," he interrupted again. "I need to get back to my training so if there's nothing else, I prefer to train alone." Kurenai couldn't help but wince slightly at his cold tone. "I understand, Naruto. I'll leave you to your training. Your chakra control is amazing. Keep at it," she turned to leave and Naruto could taste blood as he bit into his bottom lip.

"Sensei, wait. Could you do me a favor?" Kurenai turned around and motioned for him to ask his favor. "Please don't tell anybody about this place. It's kinda my sanctuary." Naruto begged and Kurenai gave a soft smile as she nodded. "I promise, Naruto." With that said, she left and Naruto dropped onto his back with a deep sigh. "Goodbye…Kurenai-chan."

And with tear-filled eyes, Naruto locked away the feelings he had for his first love.

* * *

That's it for the first chapter of my new series. Please let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2: This is a C-rank?

A/N: Okay, let's get this out of the way. In response to those of you who have reviewed, thank you for your input. I forgot to mention this in the first chapter, but I'm also writing another story at the same time as this one so updates may be delayed slightly. I'll try to update at least once a week though. Now to clear up a few things. First off, some of you need to keep in mind that this is, in fact, fan fiction. I'm not subject to follow any specific guidelines set by canon.

In response to the chakra control dispute, while some issues may have been caused due to Kyuubi's chakra, it stands to reason that having a larger supply of something would obviously make it more difficult to manage. However, even with the issue with the warring chakras between Naruto and Kurama, there is no evidence to say it would be impossible for him to increase his control. If that were the case, he never would've mastered tree-climbing and water-walking. All of this is irrelevant however because, as I mentioned before, this is merely fan fiction.

I was also noticing mixed opinions from people saying things were rushed. As far as claiming the plot was rushed, if you compare to canon's timeline, it's really not moving any faster. I also didn't feel like spending time writing in pointless parts of the timeline that held no bearing on the actual story.

And as far as the relationship being rushed, how do you figure? All they've done was go out to eat one time. This would be totally normal for any other case between teacher and student from canon and it was by no means a date. Kurenai clearly rejecting him is a pretty straightforward sign that their relationship hasn't advanced to anything special and won't be anytime soon.

Also, to the statement "Naruto in your story knows he's hated, obviously hasn't put up a idiots mask" that is completely controversial. Naruto's mask in canon was directly related to the village's hatred. I appreciate constructive criticism, but I prefer it not be completely flawed and utterly pointless.

Anyway, enough of this and on with the show. As always, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 2: This is a C-rank?

* * *

"I swear if we have to catch that damn cat again it's gonna be my turn to leave some scratches." Naruto said angrily as team 8 entered the Hokage's office. Looking the team over, Hiruzen could see that Naruto had, what he assumed to be, several cat scratches on his face. Hinata was quietly laughing to herself while Shino nodded his head in agreement to Naruto's distaste for their previous mission. Closing the door behind her as she entered, Kurenai shook her head at her student's antics.

"Don't you think it's about time we did a C-ranked mission, Gramps? We've done more missions than any of the other teams already haven't we?" The elder kage exhaled the smoke from his pipe as he considered Naruto's request. It was true that they had done the most missions of all the rookie teams, and with more efficiency at that. Setting his pipe aside, he looked through the stack of requests that were on his desk. Finding one he liked, he smiled softly as he held it out for Kurenai.

"If Kurenai thinks you're ready for this, then I have no problem with it," he said as Kurenai approached and took the offered file. Reading it carefully, she raised an eyebrow at the mission details.

"Are you sure about this, Hokage-sama? I believe they're ready for a C-rank, but something like this seems like a bit much for their first time." Hiruzen smiled as he assured her he had the utmost faith in their ability to complete the mission.

"What's the mission, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked as his excitement grew. The others were also excited at the idea of their first C-ranked mission, though not as visibly as Naruto.

"We will be escorting a merchant to the land of hot water. The client will be meeting us at the north gate tomorrow morning. Be ready and waiting by 7." With a collective affirmative, the 3 genin left to pack for their first mission out of the village.

* * *

To say they were surprised by their client would be an understatement. They had been expecting some middle-aged man, not the young girl in front of them who couldn't have been more than 16.

"You're the merchant we're to escort to the land of hot water?" Kurenai asked incredulously. The girl gave a small laugh and responded in a soft voice.

You're half right. My name is Sachiko and I am indeed the one you are to escort, but my uncle is the merchant who paid for the escort. I was merely here to assist him in selling his wares while he was bedridden. Now that he is healthy once more, I'm returning to be with my father." That cleared up any questions they had so with that said, they started their journey.

* * *

"Oh my, you were quite the prankster, Naruto-kun." Sachiko laughed as Naruto told her about the time he had put itching powder in the uniforms of several ANBU members. They were currently several hours outside of Konoha walking in formation around the client. Kurenai took point while Shino and Naruto stood to her sides with Hinata taking up the rear. Hinata would activate her Byakugan occasionally to make sure no bandits were flanking them or sneaking up behind them. So far, it had been a rather uneventful trip with only Naruto and Sachiko conversing most of the time.

"Well somebody had to make sure those guys stay on their toes, haha," Naruto laughed along with her as she stood closer than was necessary to the young blond. The others noticed this and had varying reactions. Hinata just smiled and didn't think much of it. Shino raised an eyebrow at this and couldn't seem to read Naruto's reaction to the close proximity. Kurenai brushed it off as unimportant, but a part of her was somewhat annoyed at the sight.

"This should be a good time to set up camp for the night. After we eat, I'll take first watch. Naruto, you take second, Shino will take third, and Hinata will take the last shift." Everyone nodded as they moved off the path a ways and setup camp for the night. Soon there were several tents erected and a small fire in the middle of the area. Naruto was mildly surprised to see Hinata and Shino were sharing a tent, but it wasn't completely unexpected. After eating 2 cups of instant ramen, Naruto went into his own tent to rest some before his watch.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Kurenai was sitting on a tree branch when she noticed Sachiko leaving her tent. She thought nothing of it and just continued to keep on her guard. Until she saw the girl enter Naruto's tent.

* * *

Naruto woke up when he felt someone crawling on top of him. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with the girl they were escorting. His eyes immediately widened as confusion took over. He looked around quickly and verified that he was indeed in his own tent.

"Sachiko? What are you doing here?" She gave him a strange smile before answering him. "I thought we could have a bit of fun," she said as she licked her lips.

"What do you-" Naruto was interrupted as his lips were assaulted by the girl above him. Too shocked to do anything, Naruto remained completely motionless as his body tensed and his mind went blank. Once she pulled her lips away from his, he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"W-what? Did you just…why?" Naruto's thoughts were having trouble catching up with him as the realization of what just happened settled in.

"You're cute so I figured we should have some fun before I go back to my father." Naruto was still trying to figure out what to do in this situation when a voice decided to help him make a decision. **"Do it, kid. There's no reason to hold back." **

'But…what about Kurenai-sensei? And who are you?' Naruto questioned the voice. **"Who I am is unimportant for the moment. As for the red-eyed woman, what about her? She rejected your feelings remember," **came the reply putting emphasis on the "rejected" part.

"I know, but-" **"No buts, kid. Think of it as a replacement to take your frustrations out on if you have to," ** the voice interrupted. Naruto considered the idea for a moment. After a while of the word replacement floating around his mind, something in him seemed to just "click" and his eyes darkened. A slight smirk crossed his face and he immediately switched places with the girl on top of him. Sachiko let out a small "eep" of surprise at the sudden change.

"Silly girl, you didn't really think you'd be the one in control did you? Tsk tsk, guess I need to get some payback for you interrupting my rest and stealing my first kiss." Before she could reply, Sachiko's lips were covered by Naruto's while he held her arms above her head. Without warning, Naruto's tongue forced its way into her mouth and slid against it. Sachiko moaned softly into his mouth and Naruto enjoyed the feeling of dominance he had over her.

Just as he was moving a hand toward her chest, Kurenai poked her head in to let him know it was time for his watch. She certainly hadn't expected the sight in front of her if the look on her face was anything to go by. Naruto was kneeling over her with both her hands held tightly above her head by one hand with the over hovering over her breast and a trail of saliva connecting them as he pulled back from their kiss.

"Cheh, just when it was getting good," he mumbled as he crawled out of the tent and moved into the center of the camp. Kurenai's gaze shifted between him and the panting girl laying there with a dazed look on her face. '…what the hell just happened?' Kurenai thought to herself. Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, she shook her head and went to her own tent to get some sleep.

* * *

After the incident with Kurenai's horrible timing, the rest of the night passed like normal and the group had resumed their mission. Shino and Hinata were certainly more confused than they were the day before. Sachiko was now walking next to Naruto with her arms wrapped tightly around one of his and seemed to be pressing herself as close to him as possible without making it difficult to walk. Naruto himself was acting rather unusual as well. He would throw out a reply every now and then as Sachiko talked his ear off, but for the most part he seemed completely apathetic. His teammates recognized the look as how he gets when he's deep in thought about something, but what he could be thinking about, they had no idea.

'So you're the Kyuubi?' Naruto thought back to the voice in his head. He was trying his hardest to appear like nothing was going on, but it's difficult to seem normal while having an internal conversation with the strongest of the tailed beasts.

**"Correct. We can continue our conversation when you're alone though, your teammates are starting to get suspicious."** Seeing the expression on Shino's face, he knew the fox was right and decided to leave it for another time.

"So how far are we from the land of hot water, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked as his usual smile returned to his face. Shino continued to watch him carefully until he was sure it was genuine before redirecting his attention to the road ahead of him once more.

"We should be there tomorrow night at this rate," Kurenai replied. As if just to prove Kurenai wrong, Hinata called out for everyone to stop as she looked around them with her byakugan. Seeing this, the others pulled out kunai and looked around.

"Well what do you know, the brats actually spotted us, hehe," one man said as a large group of bandits walked out of the trees with swords drawn. Some of them laughed at the frightened look on Sachiko's face as they slowly approached.

"Give us the girl and MAYBE we'll let the rest of you go," another man said as he stepped forward.

"Hinata, you cover Sachiko. Naruto, Shino, you 2 back me up," Kurenai ordered as she stepped forward and got ready. The others nodded as Naruto got into an offensive stance while Shino was surrounded by bugs. "Now!" Kurenai called out as she cast a genjutsu over the bandits and the boys moved to strike. Naruto and Shino moved through the bandits immobilizing and knocking out as many as they could while they were trapped in Kurenai's illusion. Things seemed to be going fine until they heard a pained yell from behind them. Naruto looked over to see what happened.

"KURENAI-SENSEI!" Naruto yelled out as he saw her on the ground reaching to pull out the kunai that was sticking out of her thigh. Naruto tuned out any sights and sounds other than what was in front of him. There was a large man standing over Kurenai wearing a headband with a slash through it that showed he was a missing ninja from Iwa. He didn't see what the man was wearing or how big his muscles were. All he saw was the smile on the man's face as he looked at what he had done. And that's when everything changed.

Naruto's eyes turned bright red while his pupils became slits and chakra oozed out of him. The smile on the man's face was replaced by a look of confusion as he noticed the young blond releasing an aura so full of hate it was suffocating. He watched suspiciously as the boy raised a single hand in front of him and pressed his thumb and middle fingers together.

-SNAP-

The man couldn't figure out what just happened. One moment he was staring at some young genin, then the boy snapped his fingers. And now, he had some…thing pinning him to the ground with its hand around his throat. He struggled for air as he watched the boy approach him slowly and make an upwards motion with his hand. As if obeying the unannounced command, the thing on top of him lifted him into the air as the boy stopped in front of him right next to the…ogre? The blond smiled and without a word, shoved a kunai deep into his leg in the same area he had stabbed the woman moments ago.

"So tell me, what do you think of my genjutsu? I'm quite curious since you are the first to experience it," Naruto spoke calmly while the man grunted at the pain in his leg. As if refusing to believe it was an illusion, he lashed out with his uninjured leg to kick the ogre holding him, only for his leg to pass directly through it. Having proof that it was indeed a genjutsu, he channeled his chakra and called out "release!" as he attempted to dispel the illusion.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk, that won't work. You're not going anywhere. I'm gonna kill you nice and slow for what you did to Kurenai-sensei," Naruto ridiculed the man as he brought his fingers together once more. A look of horror spread across the man's face when he realized he had no way out. The look was replaced by one of intense pain however as soon as Naruto snapped his fingers again. Naruto smiled as the man's screams filled the air when a pillar of flames erupted around him. By the time the flames stopped, some of the man's flesh had melted right off of his bones and the rest was completely charred. Naruto took out a kunai as the ogre set what was left of the man on the floor. Naruto walked around him and smiled when the man begged for death.

"Well since you asked so nicely…" Naruto trailed off as he flipped the kunai in his hand before shoving it forcefully into the man's skull. With no further need for him, the ogre vanished as Naruto's eyes returned to their usual blue and he fell to his knees.

* * *

Kurenai couldn't understand what was happening. When Naruto snapped his fingers, the man flew back as if he were tackled by an expanded Akimichi and started gasping for air. Her confusion only grew when he started floating in the air and clutching at his throat. When Naruto suddenly stabbed him in the leg and claimed it to be a genjutsu, she couldn't believe it. What kind of genjutsu could physically affect somebody? It was completely unheard of. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden high-pitched scream of agony. Kurenai visibly paled as she watched the man's skin blacken as if he were on fire, but there were no flames. When Naruto finally ended it with kunai, she limped over to his kneeling form ignoring the odd stares and questions of concern from the others.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" she asked as she knelt next to him, choking back the pained grunt that wanted to escape her. He acted as if he hadn't heard her as he kept looking back and forth between his hands and the body in front of them. When he finally turned to look at Kurenai, his hands were shaking and the look on his face was heartbreaking. Without a second thought, Kurenai wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. Neither of them paid any notice to the fact that his head was resting on her breasts as he slowly wrapped his arms around her and began crying into her chest.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay now, Naruto?" Kurenai asked softly as they continued toward the land of hot water. Sachiko had explained that the men were most likely hired by a rival businessman of her father. The man overpriced his wares and was losing business fast because her father sold his much cheaper even though his were of a higher quality. With that out of the way, they reorganized their formation and continued. Hinata moved up to replace Naruto on Sachiko's flank, while Naruto and Kurenai were behind them with Kurenai's arm slung over his shoulder to take some weight off of her injured leg.

"I'm the one who should be asking if you're okay. How's your leg feeling? Should we rest for a bit?" Kurenai shook her head slightly.

"No I'll be fine. Hey, Naruto…how did you do that?" Naruto flinched at the question and she immediately apologized. He waved her off and said it was okay.

"I'm not really sure to be honest. But as soon as I saw what he did to you, I felt so…I don't know how to put it. I just wanted him to suffer for it, and put all of my concentration into trying to form a genjutsu. Next thing I know, there's a giant ogre pinning him to the ground. After that I just kinda…did what felt right? Sorry, I'm not making any sense. I really don't know how to explain it," Naruto explained as she listened closely. Kurenai wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Could it have been some type of bloodline? She had never heard of any Uzumaki using genjutsu before and Minato certainly had no such ability. Could it have been from the Kyuubi? That still didn't quite add up either since the previous jinchuurikis couldn't do that.

"There's no need to apologize, Naruto. As long as you're okay then everything is fine," she replied with a smile. Naruto's chest tightened, but he ignored it and continued walking.

* * *

"I'll take first watch and cover the second watch too. You guys get some rest and I'll get you for your shift, Shino." Naruto said as he finished eating a fish and stood. Kurenai looked like she was about to protest, but Naruto cut her off.

"You need to get plenty of rest, Kurenai-sensei. Besides, I don't really need a lot of sleep," Naruto pointed at his stomach where his seal was located when he was sure the others weren't looking. Kurenai sighed but nodded in agreement anyway. Once the others were in their tents, Naruto sat by the fire and closed his eyes.

'Any idea what happened?' Naruto questioned the other occupant of his mind. **"I had a few theories, but none of them seemed right. One that's unlikely, but still rather plausible, is that you have somehow developed your own bloodline. A factor that's throwing me off is that you were tapped into my chakra while doing it. I myself have no such ability, but I suppose some combination of things between us could have caused it. You should attempt to do it again." **Naruto listened carefully and nodded. He had intended on attempting to do it again, but he was hoping the fox would have some helpful information. Putting his other thoughts aside, Naruto opened his eyes and focused on the space several feet in front of him. After several minutes of straining to recreate the genjutsu without results, Naruto thought of other factors.

'Let's go ahead and try it with your chakra and see if that's a factor." His reply was a sudden pulse of chakra entering him. With that done, he once again concentrated on the area in front of him. However, once again, he received no results. He even tried visualizing the scene from earlier to test if emotion was somehow involved. Still nothing.

'Do you think I have to have an actual target? Maybe it has to directly involve someone's mind somehow.' There was a moment of silence before he heard anything. **"That is a strong possibility. Luckily you have others around you can test it on."**

'I'm not gonna just experiment with my friends in their sleep, Kyuubi!' He heard a sigh followed by a grumble of **"humans". **Ignoring the comment, Naruto thought of his options. Sadly, the one that made the most sense was to ask someone to let him test it on them. He wasn't happy about the idea of potentially harming his friends, but he couldn't come up with a better plan.

After considering his options, he decided he would ask Shino to help when they had a chance. With that out of the way, he decided to train until it was time to wake Shino for his watch. He still hadn't come up with a better chakra control exercise, so he spent his watch balancing on his finger like the day Kurenai had found him.

* * *

"I'm sorry for all the trouble you had to go through because of my daughter and I. Please make yourselves at home and we shall celebrate tonight," Sachiko's father bowed as she did the same.

"That's really not necessary. We were just doing our job after all," Kurenai waved her hands in front of her and asked them to stand up.

"Nonsense, I insist you 4 stay the night. You can leave in the morning," the man motioned for them to proceed into the living room and relax. The rest of their trip had been uneventful and they made it into the land of hot water before sunset. Once they had arrived at Sachiko's home, she immediately ran to her father and told him about what had happened. It was still early in the evening now and Sachiko was preparing a large meal for them while her father, Jirou, had just returned with a rather large variety of alcohol. Kurenai and Naruto immediately reached for drinks while the others sweatdropped.

"What? Aren't we supposed to be celebrating?" Naruto asked as he grabbed a bottle of sake while Kurenai poured herself some vodka. Jirou let out a deep laugh as he smacked Naruto on the back.

"I like your style kid. Let's have some fun shall we?" With that said, he too poured himself a drink and the 3 of them began talking as if they had known eachother for years. Shino and Hinata continued to watch them for a moment before shaking their heads and deciding to assist Sachiko instead.

They spent the rest of the night enjoying themselves as if the events of the day before never happened. Kurenai was once again amazed at Naruto's ability to drink and Naruto was laughing at the stories Jirou told from when he was younger. Shino and Hinata passed on the offer to drink, but enjoyed the company all the same. The food had been delicious as well and Naruto thought he was going to die when Jirou made a joke about him marrying Sachiko and he choked on his food. Hinata and Shino laughed when Kurenai spat out her drink and started coughing as well.

Eventually things had calmed down and everybody went to bed. Apparently Sachiko had other plans though because she quietly crept into Naruto's room once everybody else was in their rooms. Naruto had to cover her mouth to stop the startled scream from escaping when he snuck up behind her. He shushed her and showed that it was him before removing his hand.

"How did you know I was coming?" Naruto chuckled softly at her question. "I'm a ninja, remember? It's not that easy to sneak up on me. More importantly, what were you intending to do, hmmm?" She slowly backed away as he continued to advance on her until she stumbled back onto the bed. Before she could say anything, Naruto had her pinned the same way he had when she snuck into his tent. She gave a surprised squeak before returning the kiss.

"Nobody is gonna interrupt us this time," Naruto said with a smirk as he started lifting her shirt over her head.

Naruto awoke the next morning to the sunlight on his face. He slid his legs off the edge of the bed and yawned as he sat there and stretched. Noticing he was alone in the room, he was happy thinking it had been a dream. That hope was crushed when he noticed his clothes scattered around the room and the dried blood on the sheets. His face dropped into his hands as he thought about the night before.

"What have I done…" he whispered to himself.

**"Become a man? Don't human males see their first conquest as a sort of rite of passage?" **Naruto sighed deeply. "I never cared about that sort of thing. I just…"

**"…you feel you betrayed the other female, don't you?" **The silence was all the answer he needed. This time, it was the Kyuubi's turn to sigh. "Yeah yeah, I know what you're going to say. She rejected me already and blah blah blah. I get your point, but it's not like I can do anything about it." Laughter was not the response Naruto expected. Before he could say anything, the fox spoke again.

**"You presume to know too much brat. What I was going to say was give it time." **Once again, not the response he was expecting. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but he was completely speechless. So instead he got dressed and went to see if everybody was ready to go.

* * *

"So, did you sleep well, Naruto?" Shino raised an eyebrow when the recipient of his question suddenly crashed into a tree and slid down it to the forest floor below. This also gained the attention of their other teammates as they all stopped to watch the blond pick himself up and run up the tree. Naruto cleared his throat and looked around to see them all waiting for an answer.

Y-yeah, why do you ask?" Naruto could feel himself starting to sweat as Shino stared at him silently for what felt like forever before muttering "liar," and hardening his gaze. Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Naruto, if you wish for my help with what we discussed, then tell me. What happened last night?" That put Naruto in a very tight spot. Shino had agreed to help him figure out his genjutsu when they returned to Konoha, but now he could lose the chance. The question was which was worse. Being embarrassed in front of his team, or losing Shino's help. Naruto let out a heavy sigh and dropped his head.

"I slept with Sachiko…" He had said it so quietly, but he might as well have yelled it. Nobody could think of anything to say and just stared at the blond like he had grown a second head. After the initial shock, Hinata blushed, Shino didn't seem to think much of it, but Kurenai looked pissed. Noticing this, Naruto winced and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-sensei, I know you hate perverts…" Kurenai didn't say a word and just started moving toward Konoha again. Shino and Hinata looked at Naruto before following shortly after. Naruto let out another sigh and shook his head before doing the same.

* * *

"I see. Considering the involvement of enemy ninja, this will go on record as a B-rank. Congratulations on your success team 8," the Hokage said as team 8 gave their report on the mission. As soon as they were dismissed, Kurenai vanished in a swirl of leaves. Shino and Hinata left as well, but Hiruzen stopped Naruto as he was at the door. He hadn't missed the look Kurenai gave him out of the corner of her eye when she left and he wanted to know what the reason for it was.

"You don't have to ask Gramps, I know what you want to know," Naruto closed the door and leaned against it as he closed his eyes. Hiruzen could tell this was going to be a difficult conversation for the boy and waited patiently for the answer.

"To put it simply, Kurenai-sensei hates me now." Of all the things the old man had expected to hear, that was not one of them. Naruto kept his eyes closed as he clenched his fists. Hiruzen let out a small sigh and asked what happened.

"I fucked up, that's what happened," Naruto slid down the door until he was seated on the floor. "I slept with the girl we were escorting last night." Hiruzen blinked a few times and thought he had to have misheard the boy. But one look told him he had heard correctly. Naruto was seated against the door with his knees raised and his forearms resting against his legs with his head in his hands.

"I don't know what I was thinking. I knew Kurenai-sensei hated perverts and I still…" Naruto couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He felt like his heart had dropped into his stomach and was finding it more difficult to breathe. 'So much for giving it time, eh fox?' Naruto thought as he kept picturing the pissed off look Kurenai had in the forest.

"I don't think she hates you, Naruto. While it's true Kurenai doesn't like perverts, she wouldn't change her opinion of you so drastically from something like this." Naruto made no sign that he acknowledged what Hiruzen had said. He just stood up and slowly opened the door. Without saying a word, he walked out and closed the door behind him.

When the door clicked shut, Hiruzen let out a sigh. "I hope you work this out before the chuunin exams, Naruto…"

* * *

What did you guys think? I wanted to get away from the overused method of assisting team 7 in Wave while mixing a little drama in. Sorry if you were hoping for a bit more action than that, but I wanted to try and get his ability out there while still keeping it to a point where he's not completely overpowered. Next chapter will reveal a bit more and possibly get into the start of the chuunin exams. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3: Individual Training

A/N: Thank you so much for your support everybody. Reading all of your reviews made me want to get the next chapter out quickly as a sort of thank you. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and to those of you who were disappointed about me skipping the lemon with Sachiko, I'm sorry about that, but don't worry. The lemons shall come eventually.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 3: Individual training

* * *

The next week felt like an eternity to Naruto. It was obvious that Kurenai was avoiding him as much as possible. During team meetings she would always stay as far away as she could without making the distance too obvious. Her gaze would always be focused on Shino and Hinata while Naruto sat off to the side and listened. Of course, Shino and Hinata noticed this as well and decided they would get the two to talk one way or another. After a short discussion, they decided on a plan of action.

* * *

"Why are you so eager to help with my genjutsu all of the sudden, Shino?" Naruto asked as they walked towards their training grounds. Shino had shown up at his apartment that morning and told him to get ready so that they could go work on his genjutsu. Then he practically started shoving him out the door and toward the training grounds.

"I promised I would help you and this seemed like a good time. Now get moving," Shino said as they approached their destination. Naruto stopped and glared at Shino when he saw Hinata and Kurenai already there.

"Okay, what's really going on here, bug-brain?" Shino sighed and shook his head. "Hinata and I are sick of whatever is going on between you two so you're not leaving here until you fix it."

"That's what you think," Naruto said as he turned around and started walking away. He didn't get far before he was surrounded and lifted off the ground by a swarm of insects. Before he could protest, he was sent flying through the air toward Hinata.

"Sorry about this, Naruto-kun," she apologized before quickly striking his tenketsu. By the time Kurenai knew what was happening, she didn't have the chakra to attempt her escape. Turning her head, she saw a large group of Shino's kikaichu behind her siphoning away her chakra. Naruto fell to the ground with a large amount of his tenketsu closed off. Struggling to get to his hands and knees, he saw Kurenai sit down panting as Shino's bugs retreated back into his coat. Hinata and Shino left to let them sort things out on their own. Pulling himself into a sitting position, Naruto sighed as he turned to Kurenai.

"I know you don't want to be here Kurenai-sensei, so let's just get this over with." Kurenai looked everywhere except at the blond in front of her until she heard a soft "I'm sorry" that was barely loud enough to be heard. That brought her attention to the boy who seemed to have taken great interest in the small rock that sat between them.

"I understand that you hate me for what I did, and I don't blame you. It should never have happened and if I could take it back I would, but Shino and Hinata are right. It's not fair to them for us to act like this. Once I become a chuunin you won't have to deal with me, but can you set your feelings aside until then; for them?" Kurenai listened quietly until he was finished then let out a sigh.

"I don't hate you, Naruto." Naruto looked up and saw the look of concentration on her face. It seemed like she was carefully deciding on what words to say; which is exactly what she was doing. All he could say was "what?"

"I said I don't hate you. I was mad at you at first yes, but only for a few minutes. The ones I was really mad at were Sachiko and myself."

"Oh," Naruto paused for a moment to think about her response. "Why were you mad at yourself?" Kurenai flinched slightly at the question. It was the same one she had been asking herself for the past week. She tried to make herself believe it was just because she had failed to properly guide her student, but part of her knew it was more than that. She shook her head of those thoughts and returned to the problem at hand.

Shaking her head slowly in a dismissive manner, she smiled softly. "It's not important. Let's just forget about the whole thing." With that said, she tried to stand up and immediately fell back down. Remembering what Shino and Hinata had done, she laughed softly and rubbed the back of her head.

"On second thought, maybe we should just sit here and rest for a bit." Naruto laughed and nodded his head in agreement. He wasn't in any shape to be moving around just yet either. Hinata and Shino smiled from their position in a nearby tree happy that they could help their friends.

* * *

"That's enough for today you 3, come over here and take a seat," Kurenai called out to her students who were all panting heavily. Shino and Hinata sat down in front her while Naruto just flopped onto his back and looked up at her. Kurenai shook her head at her student's antics before getting back to the point.

"Now then, as I mentioned earlier, the chuunin exams are a month away. Are you sure you're ready? I have confidence in all of you, but there's no shame in waiting if you don't feel ready." Naruto flipped onto his stomach and leaned on his elbows as he looked up to her with a huge smile on his face. Kurenai shook her head slightly when the thought of how cute and innocent he looked entered her mind. Shino and Hinata both had on similar smiles as they all agreed they were ready.

"In that case, I shall inform the Hokage you will be entering. Go home and get some rest. I'll see you all in the morning," and with that said, she disappeared in a swirl of leaves. They all stood to leave before Naruto called out to Shino.

"Hey Shino, hold up a sec," the bug user turned and raised an eyebrow. "Think you could help me with my genjutsu for a little bit?" Shino looked to see Hinata give him a nod before nodding to his blond friend.

"Very well, Naruto. I did promise to help you after all." Naruto smiled and thanked him before turning serious. 'You ready to give this another shot, fox?'

**"I was wondering when you would finally get around to it. Let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep," **the Kyuubi replied with a grumble. Naruto concentrated on Shino and focused his chakra. For a while, nothing seemed to be happening and Naruto started to frown in frustration. He was just about ready to try something different when he noticed it. The area around Shino seemed to be slightly distorted. Thinking back to his fight during their mission, Naruto pictured that strange ogre from before. It took some time, but eventually, it began to appear next to Shino.

Shino had noticed the distortion as well, but it didn't seem to be affecting anything so he continued waiting. His eyes widened though when a large creature started forming nearby. Forming a ram seal, Shino called out "release!" and had a mixture of surprise and what seemed like some sort of pride on his face when the creature remained.

Naruto couldn't fight the grin that covered his face. "Now to test another little detail, sorry if this stings a little bit, Shino," Naruto called out as he held his hand out in front of him and the ogre stepped up to Shino. Taking hold of Shino's wrist, the ogre brought up a large claw and scratched the top of Shino's hand. Shino looked at the shallow wound with a raised eyebrow as a small amount of blood trickled out of it.

"Perfect. Thanks, Shino," Naruto said as he dropped his hand and dispelled the genjutsu. Shino was about to ask what the purpose of that was before he looked at his hand. His eyes went wide again when he saw that the cut had remained. Looking back toward the blond, he saw him panting slightly with a smile on his face.

Now that he had some of the details figured out, he turned to a curious Hinata to get the answer to another of his questions. "Did you see anything, Hinata?" A quick shake of her head with a "no" was his answer.

"I guess only those who are affected by it can see everything, makes sense. Thanks for your help guys," Naruto mumbled the first part before calling out his thanks and turning to go home. Hinata walked up to Shino and he informed her of everything that had happened before they too turned to leave.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Naruto asked as he flopped onto his bed. **"I think you were right about it only affecting those who are being influenced. I'm sure it could work on multiple people if you wanted it to, but I would advise not trying that just yet. It certainly seems effective, but you need to be able to control it better before you try to use it in actual combat."**

"Yeah, you're right. It took too long to activate and it totally wiped me out. If Shino was fighting back I would've been screwed," Naruto yawned and closed his eyes as he thought about how to improve his newfound ability. He fell asleep shortly after with a smile on his face.

* * *

"Okay you 3, until it's time for exams, we're gonna do individual training. We'll still meet weekly to go over your progress, but other than that you'll be on your own to work on your clan's specialties." Kurenai explained as team 8 stood in their usual training grounds. Hinata and Shino nodded while Naruto had a slight pout.

"What about me, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto shivered at the smile on her face as she looked at him. "Unfortunately for you, I will be training you personally until the exams start. You may want to say your goodbyes just in case," Kurenai answered with a laugh at the end that caused Hinata and Shino to shiver as well. They said their farewells and wished Naruto good luck before running off as fast as they could.

"TRAITORS!" He yelled after them before making an audible gulping sound as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat and turned to face Kurenai.

"Pack some clothes and meet me at your sanctuary in an hour," was all she said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

* * *

"Sooo why did I need to bring clothes with me, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked as he set his backpack full of clothes at the entrance to the cave before walking out into the clearing.

"Because Naruto, until the start of the exams, you will be living here and following a strict schedule," Kurenai told him with a smile. Naruto let out a surprised "what?" but didn't complain. He had slept in the nearby cave on occasion, but never for such a prolonged period of time.

"You heard me. For the next month, you won't be leaving the area. For starters, put these on," Kurenai tossed something through the air and when Naruto caught it, he fell over from the weight.

"W-what the hell is this?" Naruto asked as he pushed the object off of him. Taking a closer look, it appeared to be some kind of suit.

"Training weights. It's kind of like a suit so that you don't favor a particular area too much and your entire body can adapt at the same time. Hurry up and put it on and keep it on until the day before the exams," Kurenai instructed. Naruto nodded and started taking his clothes off. Kurenai obviously hadn't thought about that part and quickly turned around with a slight blush. Naruto had seemingly forgotten she was even there and stripped down to his boxers before working his way into the heavy material. He started by putting his legs into the strange skintight sleeves that covered them completely from his ankles to his groin. After putting his pants back on, Kurenai had to assist him with putting on the upper portion of the suit. Just like with his legs, his arms were completely covered down to his wrists, as was his torso. After putting on his shirt, Naruto struggled to get up and felt the additional weight.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna be a piece of cake," Naruto said sarcastically. An evil grin crossed Kurenai's face as she decided to torture the boy a bit.

"I'm glad you think so because it's time to start your training with some simple water-walking." At first Naruto thought that would be an easy start, until he took his first step. 'It's this difficult to walk on land, and now I have to walk on water? I really should've kept my mouth shut,' he thought to himself as he slowly made his way toward the waterfall. Once he reached the edge of the water and took his first step, Kurenai couldn't stop her laughter. As soon as his foot touched the water, he sank like a rock. Kurenai continued laughing for a while, until she realized he wasn't coming up. Walking up to look into the water, Kurenai saw the boy flailing desperately trying to swim to the surface. Kurenai sweatdropped and reached under to grab his hand and pull him out.

Naruto gasped for air and coughed. "Naruto…why didn't you just kick off of the ground?" The look of "I didn't think of that" on his face said it all and Kurenai sighed while shaking her head. After that, Naruto spent the next few hours working on water-walking, in the shallow area this time, while Kurenai worked up a schedule for the first week.

"Okay so for this week we'll start out light. You'll wake up at 5 and have half an hour to eat, go to the bathroom, err go to the bush, or whatever. At 5:30 you will do water-walking exercises until 8. After that, you will run 100 laps around the clearing followed by 100 push-ups and 200 sit-ups. Once your warm-up is finished, we will spend the majority of the day working on taijutsu." Naruto was sweating just thinking about the "warm-up" and the fact that she had mentioned that would be starting light had him a bit worried.

"Since it already pretty late, just run 100 laps and work on your kata until it's time for dinner to help get you used to the extra weight a bit more." Naruto nodded and started running. While he was running, Kurenai decided to catch some fish and build a fire. By the time he was finished running, she had caught several fish and was in the process of skewering them to roast by the fire when Naruto collapsed onto the ground near the fire.

"I believe I said to work on your kata once you were done running." Naruto stood up while grumbling something along the lines of "devil woman is gonna kill me before the exams even start". Kurenai giggled and set the fish to cook by the fire while she watched her blond student. She called out commands on how to correct his stance every so often while she relaxed and watched.

Once the fish were done, she called him over so they could eat. Naruto wasted no time and was devouring his third fish by the time Kurenai finished her first. She grabbed another one and motioned for him to have the rest. Once he was finished eating, Naruto crawled into the cave and promptly fell asleep. Kurenai shook her head with a smile and said "goodnight Naruto," before going home to get some sleep herself.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto woke up to the obnoxious beeping of an alarm clock going off. Rolling over, he saw that it was 5 o'clock. Yawning as he stretched, Naruto got up and walked to the nearest bush to take care of his business. Once that was done, he started a fire and set some water to boil as he thanked whatever being it was that gave him the foresight to bring some instant ramen with him. By 5:30 he was finished and had set out to start his "warm-up" for the day.

When Kurenai arrived, Naruto was in the middle of his push-ups as she listened to him count out. "43, 44, 45," the sweat was pouring off of him as he breathed heavily. Kurenai sat down and started reading a book until Naruto finally finished with his exercises. As he called out the "200" that marked he had finished his sit-ups, he spread out on the ground panting as he looked up at the clouds passing by. Naruto was glad his face was already flushed because when Kurenai stood over him and he looked into her beautiful crimson eyes, he could feel the sensation of his face heating up with a blush.

"It took you a while, but you'll get used to that extra weight eventually. Now get up so we can get started on your actual training," Kurenai said as she held a hand out to him. Naruto groaned as he took the offered hand and got to his feet.

"Are you sure you're not trying to kill me, Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai just smiled and before he knew what happened, he was sent flying across the clearing into a tree by a kick to the chest. 'Yep, she's totally trying to kill me,' Naruto thought as he picked himself up and wandered back into the clearing. This time Kurenai waited for him to actually get into a stance before sending him flying.

"C'mon Naruto, if you're gonna specialize in genjutsu you need to make sure you can defend yourself if things go wrong." Naruto barely heard what she said over the roaring laughter in his head. 'You're really enjoying this aren't you, fox?' More laughter was heard before he got an actual response.

**"Kid, you have no idea." **Naruto sighed and, once again, picked himself up and wandered back into the clearing. This procedure was more or less repeated for the majority of their training. Eventually Naruto was able to defend himself to a degree, but it was not without pain. Kurenai was fairly impressed at how fast he was picking up on things though. She had to constantly change her attack patterns as she came to the realization that Naruto may not have been your usual type of genius, but he could be considered one in a different sense. When it came to theoretical knowledge he was behind, but physically show him something, and he seemed to figure it out almost immediately. Which was actually far more useful to a shinobi. After all, knowing the entire history of the world won't save you on the battlefield if you don't know how to apply it properly.

* * *

Alright, that's enough for today Naruto," Kurenai said while Naruto was still tumbling back from her last blow. "Couldn't have said that before that last punch, huh?" Naruto asked as he got to his feet again and rubbed his sore jaw. Kurenai smiled with an innocent "nope" causing Naruto to roll his eyes. The first week had gone by quickly. Naruto was mostly used to his weights by now and had improved his taijutsu quite a bit. The biggest change though had been the relationship between the two of them. They acted more like friends who had known eachother their whole lives than a student and his teacher. There wasn't that usual awkwardness between them anymore and they could just relax and enjoy themselves; when Kurenai wasn't running Naruto into the ground that is.

"I swear Kurenai; I'm amazed I made it through the week. You're a freaking slave-driver," Naruto joked as he took his shirt off and went to wash his face. Kurenai smiled devilishly as she stood behind him while he was kneeling down at the water's edge.

"That hurts Naruto. I thought I was being quite nice," Kurenai said with mock hurt in her voice. Naruto laughed as he said "yeah, nice and sadistic." Kurenai laughed as she brought her foot up.

"Me? Sadistic? Never." Naruto's eyes went wide when she said never because at the same time, she used her raised foot to shove him into the water. Kurenai couldn't stop laughing as Naruto flailed around in the water for a moment before standing up and glaring at her. Her laughter stopped when she saw the grin spread across Naruto's face and his hands just beneath the surface of the water.

"Don't. You. Dare." Kurenai emphasized each word as Naruto brought his hands back. She went to warn him again, but it was too late. Naruto brought his hands forward and sent a large splash of water at her. It was Naruto's turn to laugh as he watched the water dripping from her drenched hair. He was so busy laughing he failed to notice her standing on the water over him. He gulped loudly and held his hands up in surrender when he did notice.

"C-calm down Kurenai, let's not overreact here. You're the one who pushed me into the water first, remember?" The smile on her face did not bode well for the young blond and an unhappy Kurenai can be rather…unpleasant.

"NOOO! NOT THE YAOI WORLD GENJUTSU! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT STOP!"

* * *

Kurenai was sitting by the fire drying her hair while Naruto was curled up in the fetal position nearby trembling. "So many men…so naked…" he mumbled as he continued to shiver at the images he had seen. Kurenai smirked and threw a towel at the trembling blond.

"Get over it, will you? Sit up so I can tell you what you'll be doing next." Naruto started drying his hair and turned to face her. His hands stopped moving completely when he looked at her. The way her damp hair framed her face while the light from the fire illuminated her pale skin and those beautiful crimson eyes that always captivated him had him completely mesmerized. He didn't even register the fact that she was talking to him until the third "Naruto!" Naruto shook his head and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, sorry. So what's the plan?" She watched him closely for a moment before getting back on topic. "I was saying, you'll still do your warm-up and a bit of taijutsu practice, but there will be some changes. First off, we're doubling your warm-up. After that, we will only work on taijutsu for a few hours before getting to the next major part of your training." Naruto raised an eyebrow as she pulled out a small sheet of paper and handed it to him. "You're going to start working on nature manipulation. That's a special type of paper that will tell us what element you have an affinity for. Go ahead and channel some chakra into it," Kurenai explained. As instructed, Naruto channeled some chakra into the paper and Kurenai was fairly surprised to see it split in half before each half dampened slightly.

"Interesting. I'm surprised you have two affinities, but the fact that one is wind is even more surprising. Your water affinity could use some work, but that will increase over time." Kurenai mused. "Why is it so surprising for me to have an affinity for wind?" Naruto asked.

"It's really rare in fire country. As far as I know, Asuma is the only person in Konoha with a wind affinity." Naruto flinched slightly at the mention of Asuma and grimaced when he thought about what that really meant for him. If he wanted to learn wind jutsu, he would have to learn from the man who has been after Kurenai.

"What's your affinity, Kurenai?" She smiled and took out another sheet of the strange paper. Naruto sported a matching smile when her paper got wet. "Awesome, so you can teach me some water jutsu." Kurenai nodded.

Yes, I can teach you a couple but I don't know very many to be honest. There are a few other water users in the village you could learn from as well though. As far as learning wind jutsu though-" Naruto waved his hands to stop where she was going with that train of thought. "I don't need to learn any wind jutsu for now. If you know how to help with manipulation that's cool, but I'd rather not get Asuma involved." Kurenai was confused about why he was so against Asuma being involved. As far as she knew they had never really been around eachother.

"Well, if you insist. I do know wind manipulation exercises so we can start with that before moving on to water. Why are you so against learning from Asuma though?" Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Let's just say I have an issue with him and leave it at that." Kurenai shrugged and stood up to leave.

Well, I'll see you in the morning, Naruto. Get some rest." Naruto gave her a wave saying "goodnight Kurenai," as she disappeared. Once she was gone, Naruto had a quick dinner and went to sleep.

* * *

"Stupid leaf! Cut already dammit!" Kurenai help back her laughter as she approached the young blond. "I think I know something that might help, Naruto." Naruto let out a sigh of relief saying "oh thank god," at the idea of something to make this go faster.

"I'm gonna teach you the shadow clone jutsu. If you have shadow clones working on this with you it will go by faster because they transmit their knowledge back to the creator when they're dispelled. Just be careful because this jutsu uses a lot of chakra and can be pretty dangerous." Naruto nodded rapidly as he was filled with excitement at the idea of a jutsu that could help him train faster. Kurenai showed him the proper handsigns and performed the jutsu herself to demonstrate. Naruto quickly ran through the handsigns and called out "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" before the area was filled with smoke. Kurenai gasped when the smoke cleared and there were at least 100 Narutos filling the area.

"Naruto I told you not to overdo it, are you okay?" She called out as she tried to figure out where the real one is. "I'm fine Kurenai," he replied as she turned around to see that he wasn't even out of breath.

"Just how much chakra do you actually have," Kurenai asked not really expecting an answer. Naruto shrugged and ordered the clones to start working on trying to cut the leaves. "Hey Kurenai, wanna go grab some lunch?"

"I didn't teach you that jutsu so you could run off and play while your clones train, Naruto." Kurenai sighed and shook her head. Naruto frowned. "You should know me better than that by now, Kurenai. I just wanted to get some actual food for once. A guy can only eat so much fish, you know." Kurenai laughed and nodded her head.

"Okay fine, but just this once got it? You know you could've just asked me to bring you something else right?" Naruto nodded and started walking, but stopped when she finished. "…dammit!" Kurenai giggled and pushed him.

"C'mon let's go before I change my mind."

* * *

"Your only chance to go out before the exams and you want ramen?" Naruto nodded with a smile as he pushed aside the flap at the entrance and took a seat. Kurenai shook her head and walked in after him.

"Hey, pops, how ya been?" Naruto smiled as the middle aged man behind the counter turned around. "Naruto! Where have you been, my boy? We haven't seen you in over a week. I was starting to think you got sick of ramen." Naruto laughed. "As if I could ever get sick of your ramen old man. I've been busy training for the chuunin exams." Hearing the commotion, Ayame came out from the back and smiled when she saw Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, where have you been?" Ayame came around and gave Naruto a hug which he returned. Kurenai had been watching the whole interaction with interest and Naruto her eyes slightly when the girl hugged Naruto.

"Sorry, Ayame-chan. Like I was telling your dad, I've been training nonstop for the chuunin exams and haven't had a chance to come by until now. By the way, this is my lovely teacher, Kurenai Yuuhi." Naruto explained and smiled as he introduced Kurenai. Kurenai blushed slightly at the introduction and they all introduced themselves properly. They all told stories while Naruto told her how Teuchi and Ayame were like his family and would feed him and even clothe him when he was younger.

"Hell, if it weren't for the old man I doubt I'd even still be alive. His ramen is the best in the world without a doubt." Teuchi laughed as he set two bowls of ramen in front of them. "Thanks for the praise Naruto. You've always been my best customer." Naruto just smiled as he broke his chopsticks apart and started eating. Kurenai followed his lead and started eating.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. This is the best ramen I've ever had. I'm amazed you don't have people lined up out the door." Teuchi just laughed and scratched the back of his head. Kurenai looked over when she heard the sound of chopsticks breaking and saw Naruto clenching his fists tightly.

Naruto? What's wrong?" Kurenai barely heard him mumble "it's my fault," while Teuchi sighed. "Naruto, it's not your fault. Eat your ramen before it gets cold." Naruto nodded with his head down and got a new pair of chopsticks and started eating again. Kurenai looked to the man behind the counter trying to figure out what was going on. He just shook his head slowly with his eyes closed while his daughter frowned. After that, they ate in silence and when Naruto was finished, he put some money on the counter and forced a smile.

"Thanks for the food, pops," he said with a wave as he turned and left. Teuchi sighed and shook his head. Kurenai quickly placed some money on the counter and said her thanks as well before leaving to catch up to her student.

* * *

Kurenai hopped from rooftop to rooftop looking for the blond after he had left, but couldn't seem to find him. At first she thought he just went back to the clearing to train, but when she got there, she only found clones. She was just now starting to realize just how little she really knew about her young blond friend. When she checked his apartment and still hadn't found him she was starting to get worried. She was startled when she felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned to see Shino looking at her questioningly.

"What are you doing, Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai was just about to wave him off when she thought about how close he and Naruto had become.

"Hey Shino, do you have any idea where Naruto could be? I've looked everywhere I can think of." Shino looked up as he thought about it for a moment. He assumed she would have already checked their training grounds and his apartment. He also guessed that they were probably using Naruto's "sanctuary" for his training so he must not be there either.

"Have you checked the hokage monument? He goes there to think sometimes." Kurenai thanked him before rushing off in the direction of the monument. Shino just shrugged and headed in the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

* * *

Just as Shino said, Naruto was sitting on top of the fourth Hokage's head looking down at the village. "Naruto?" He turned to see Kurenai then turned back to looking at the village. "Sorry about earlier, Kurenai. I didn't mean to ruin your lunch." She shook her head and sat down next to him.

"You don't need to apologize Naruto. What was that all about though?" Naruto didn't say anything for a while as he just gazed out over the village with a blank expression.

"When I was younger, I used to eat out of trashcans. I got thrown out of the orphanage when I was 5 so I didn't have anybody to feed me and didn't know what else to do. Then one day when I was in an alley behind some restaurant looking for food, I met Ayame. She took me to her dad and he cooked for me. After that, I went there every day and they always took care of me. His shop used to actually be really busy," Naruto sighed before continuing. "Until one day when I was there. One of the other customers saw me and asked why he was feeding a demon, and the old man did something he never should've. He picked up a knife and started screaming at the guy. After that, word spread about the old man helping me and people just stopped eating there. Pathetic right? He was the only person who ever took care of me and because of me him and Ayame suffered."

Kurenai had listened to the whole story quietly. She couldn't help but feel disgusted with the way the village had acted. Once he was done talking, she reached over and pulled him into a hug. Naruto's eyes went wide at the action, but they closed when she started running her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly enjoying the warmth of her body so close to his. "Thank you, Kurenai," he whispered softly.

* * *

Naruto wasn't sure how long they had stayed there just holding eachother, but the sun was starting to set and they couldn't stay there forever; no matter how much he wanted to. Naruto pulled away and immediately missed the feeling of her body against his, but they had to go. Looking up, Kurenai had such a peaceful look on her face as she opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. After that, Naruto's body seemed to move on its own. One second he was staring into her eyes, and the next thing he knew, his lips were pressed against something soft and warm. When he finally realized what he just did he jumped back with a heavy blush.

"Umm, sorry Kurenai, I don't know what came over me. I'm gonna get back to training, have a safe trip home, see you tomorrow." Naruto rambled as he scurried away as fast as he could. Kurenai was just string off into space with a light blush. Once the blond boy was gone, she brought a hand up to her cheek where she had felt his lips a moment ago.

"Goodnight Naruto…"

* * *

Ha! I bet you thought he actually gave her a real kiss, huh? Sorry, but not yet. I had originally thought I'd get into the first stage of the chuunin exams in this chapter, but other stuff just kept flowing out so that'll just have to wait. Anyway, thank you for reading.


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